This invention relates to a rocking device that may be used as an amusement device for children. While there have been a large number of prior proposals for children's rocking devices (for example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,493,882, 1,270,219 and Design 189,670) such prior art proposals have had several safety problems associated therewith. With previous proposed rocking devices, if a child placed his fingers under the seat on which he was sitting and the device rocked back to its maximum tilted position, the child's fingers would be pinched between the seat and floor. Also with previous proposed rocking devices, the child's feet could readily be placed on the floor outside the rocker and his toes caught underneath the rocker as they rocked back and forth. Additionally, prior proposed rockers were subject to tilting over sideways if rocking thereon was too violent, or even tilted over backwards.
According to the present invention, a rocking device is provided that eliminates all of the above-mentioned safety problems that are inherent to some extent or the other in prior proposed rocking devices. According to the present invention, a rocking device is provided that has a pair of curved rockers that are attached together at the free ends thereof, and attached to a cross member at their free ends; the cross member extending from one set of rocker free ends to the other. The rockers, while adjacent to each other at the free ends thereof, flair outwardly from the free ends thereof so that they are spaced a relatively large distance from each other at middle portions thereof. The narrow top and the broad base thus insures that the rocking device will not tilt over sideways even if rocked quite violently.
A pair of end seats are provided and mounted on top of the cross member of the rocking device according to the present invention. Each end seat extends a small amount outwardly past the end of the cross member and has an area that overlaps the cross member enough so that a child may place his fingers underneath the seat and grasp the seat. The seat does not overlap the cross member enough so that the child's fingers will be pinched between the seat and the ground, however, the cross member always abuts the ground before the seat and provides a stop against further movement of the seat toward the ground. The cross member extends a slight distance past the connection of the free ends of the rockers thereto in order to provide such stopping action. However, this distance is very small so that the ends seats do not extend a significant distance past the point of the free ends of the rockers which are connected together. Such an arrangement between the seats and rockers normally requires that a child sitting on an end seat dispose his legs and toes inside the volume defined by the rockers and the plane of the cross member. Thus, for normal use of the device of the invention, a child's toes will not be in position so that they could be squashed by the rockers. Feet rests are provided extending between the rockers at necessary points in order to provide a safe place for the child's feet to be placed.
Hand holds are provided for the children using the device located on the cross member between the end seats, and if desirable a middle seat or seats between the hand holds may be provided. Accessory rod means also may be provided for spacing the rockers apart a desired distance at the middle and bottom portions thereof, and additional support for the cross member extending upwardly from the rockers and the accessory rod means at the middle portions of the cross member may also be provided. While the device according to the present invention is safe, it is still fun to use. Children using it are able to rock through a complete angle of about 68.degree.. It is relatively inexpensive to construct and it is essentially readily constructed utilizing only commercially available steel rods and seats.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a safer rocking device for children, yet one that is fun to use and inexpensive to construct. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention and from the appended claims.